Warm blob of ocean water, drought warming Puget Sound water

Puget Sound is a seaway in the US state of Washington, an inlet (i.e. “entrance”) of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. “Without circulation, whatever gets into Puget Sound, be it warm water or pollution, is going to stick around”. But this year’s hottest days in places like Puget Sound have been witnessing way beyond what was predicted by scientists. The fault of this drastic local weather interference is the so-called…

But in the inland waters of Washington in places like Hood Canal, a warming of some four degrees is cutting dissolved oxygen levels to record low levels that are not capable of sustaining marine life.

Buoys bobbing in the South Puget Sound, Hood Canal and the main basin have shown temperatures warmer in both deep and surface waters, some of which are a staggering 4 degrees above normal, says Jan Newton, UW oceanographer.

Nick Bond, a climate scientist at the University of Washington expected the blob to have environmental effects, but in no way did he expect it to be this extreme. So far, the Blob has been moving between Alaska and Mexico and is adversely affecting marine life. On Thursday, scientists from county, state, and federal agencies have raised concerns with regard to the ecological consequences of such activities in the Puget Sound.

Fish are dying and many parts of the Hood Canal have been shut down due to increased toxin concentrations.

Whereas the lives of marine organisms are at stake, the oceanographers said that warm water could be seen everywhere, from Olympia to Bellingham. As dead fish and toxic algae continue to be spotted, scientists and researchers will rack their brains to come up with a solution to manage the harsh conditions being brought on by the blob. This past April, a shellfish harvest was closed. He possesses a special knack for choosing topics that people are truly interested in but also creating stories based on facts that appeal to a broad audience. Ismael loves to write about the trending news.